Dry-pipe valve



Aug. 141, 1923. '7 11,464,614

M. NACEY ET AL 1m PIPE VALVE Filed April 28, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 Au m, 1923. msmm ,H. M. NACEY ET AL DRY PIPE VALVE Filed pril 28, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 valve from the devices looking it against Patented Aug, 14, 1923.

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HARRY M. NAOEY AND MICHAEL E. AHEARN,'OE CH ICAGO, ILLINOIS. V

DRY-PIPE VALVE.

Application filed April 28, 1821. Serial No. 465,030.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HARRY M. NACEY and iiioHAnL F. AHEARN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry-Pipe Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dry pipe valves enclosed in a housing connecting an. underground water main or branch with an automatic sprinkling system, the piping for which is filled with air when exposed to a freezing temperature because of insufiicient heating facilities therefor, and particularly when located in cold storage vaults, open driveways, loading platforms, etc., the pressure of which air and a number of devices maintains the valve in its operative seated position against. the pressure of the water in the main, and in which heretofore mechanical devices, pure and simple, have heretofore been solely relied upon for tripping the valve following the discharge of air from the sprinkling system from the unseating of any one of a number of sprinkling heads, due .to the melting of their fusible link.

The object of our invention broadly stated, is to successfully utilize a column of mercury expediting the seating of a dry pipe valve of any construction, and eliminating the possibility of delayin its unseating from rust, deposits of sediment or other foreign matter in the joints of the locking and unlocking devices therefor, which is otherwise liable to occur, and particularly, when, as heretofore, mechanical devices are exclusively employed for controlling the unseating of the valve. 7

More specifically, stated, the object of our invention is to provide a means by which a column of mercury may be practically and successfully utilized for discharging water from the water main into the valve housing in advance of and following the unseating of the valve and until the level of the water therein operates to disconnect the its seat. I

A further object of our invention is to provide a dry pipe valve and disconnectible locking devices therefo r, and adapted, on the unseating of the valve, to be instantly moved out of the path of the currents of water passing directly from the water main through the valve housing into the piping of a dry pipe system, and whereby there is 'fI'OlTlllllG beginning a free and unobstructed flow of the water from the main into and through the pipes for such a system.

l Vith these ends in view, our invention finds embodiment in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects are attained, all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In said drawings,

Fig. 1 illustrates, in vertical section, a dry pipe valve structure in which our in vention and inventions find their embodiment. v i

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the upper portion of the valve housing removed; and i .Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. 2. V

The housing 4: for the valve is provided at one side with a hand-hole cover 5 secured and tightened in its closed position by a number of nut-bolts 6, 6, passing therethrough and through flange 7 of the housmg, and, as usual, the upper end opening thereof is connected with the dry pipe 8 spective flanges 15 and 16 .of the boss 12 and r the water main or branch 13.

The inner end of the boss 12 is provided with a seat for the valve, neXt below which, and extending through the boss, is an alarm opening 18, closed when the valve is seated by means of a lug 17 projecting down wardly from the valve into a grooved seat 18 formed in the boss 12.

The inwardly projecting end of the boss 12 has an outward projection20, provided with recesses receiving lugs 21, 21, through which is passed a pivot rod 22 for hinging the valve at one side to the boss, on which projection 20 are spaced parallel lugs 22, 22, receiving an arm 23, passing through which and through the lugs is a pin 24.

Opposing'lever 23 is another lever .25, pivotally secured to the housing by means of lugs 26, -26 ancha' pin 27, eachotv the levers-.23 and 25 "being provided "with :1 lug 5 28, 28, impinging upon the valve lTnext their respectlve, hlnges. Y

The lengthof these levers is such that their free ends terminate at a point slightly c pin 3'151'Which latch .pleteprojects transverselv; across the opposing ends of the leversr'23v andin ithe' -iimth of a trigger 32,

piivotelly confined-"between lugs- 83, 33; by

atpin .84on-:the:endof ered 36, suppoi tin'g Y at its free end; a"fieat-=36, 'operating to disconnect vthe' trigger: from *the. latch. when foroecl supwardly (by rising Wetter" supplied to'flthe housings from amily-source whatever. In this connection it is now-"1 to noted *"Ethat the purpose in havi gthef' fulcrumed levers'imore or' less resilie. is'to provide a,

means forf depressing' tlieei'ids'ot the leversfmnn! their 1nori'n'al'lyl opemtively- HnClHIGCl 7 30 position byineans of the latch toward and she-fore it heconies engaged with the rigger V forwthereby imparting? to r the leverse forc swinging the levers away from end'towzirds aneupright' :position before the valveisun- 35 seated, and a force also sufficient to prevent 'possihle i 'ust' anddepositsof-Fforeiggn-matter lllh hlle hearings: of the le'vers the un'se siting of the velv' a 40 movement: f v V H 111 oractlce, the several locking devlces are of su-flicient" -"strength to successfully resistalve ronivan-y water pressure 1 opp osed to the seated "valve until,- fIOmSF'SOlIIG'g source, wweter supplied to thevalveihousingwlifts th'eiflo'at to its pos'itio'n for :operatively disconnecting the latch from valve-"f means 6 its wtni-ggen; V Y Among; the advantages attributable to the 50 novel; construction and :etrra ngeifnent of the valve locking devices are the' few parts- 'requi-reo -the simplicity of theirconstruction; themcheapness Of"=-ti1(3l1 cost the] lack vof liabilityto: get-out of orclor ;*theii:adepta bility :-to be unlocked when connected with A a float positivelyoperated'hy rising"water supplied rtowtlle valve; housing from any:

source; the rapidity 0 1: the m'o vementet the several derviceswthere'l'or; r and of the valve out-'o-t-wther path :oflthe currentsofivatc passing directly through: the? valve housing and. i-w-ith iWIhicli t-he'"valve is swung out of thei s-ante epath :h ethe- *fo'rce ot then wa ter: from 3;: vatepimein, regardless of any con- 1 struction'"or means' employed in connection V the valve- 29; between which is 'pivoted' one side with pbeketor iieee'pta l e thei to as inclicatedie-t 37 1 opeh on formed i in thele'teh from lretardrng" thelr Y swinging;movement,

ndf its-swing'in the mercury and into-eh cause t l'iefioat to' r therewith for controllinglthe unlocking-end unseating of the valve. i i I 1 nventlon, however, further lncludes a simple and effective means cert'ziiifinfloper- {HD1011 for controlllng thezunlocking ofthev valve in advance 0t its beingiprc ed off its seat hy the force-of water CllIQCtBClflgfllIlSi) its-under surface, and'dls-pense with the use of a' weighted lever pivotecl to'the valve I and *the use F'Oflghtfiing or spring-actuated devices hereto-fore used for; co troll"n the unseating'of the valv V lin short, our" invention contemplates and providesfor the use-"0 f icolurnn of mercury and to" which end we prov'dfe the easing a chamber secured to 1e outer wallof the a e ingii i it =I .1 i=1 n I Upening into a-nd securedto thetupper" by meansef c u pi -"i T nipple 45; is; 'c'onn-ected'wih it 'dow v J projecting ipe ecg in u couplin'g' li hea ho riz i threeded in zt'p'ds wa tei main or 15 pocket 37 and thefetore 'suh stan all" the 'sezited" valve? ll"; s f ing wa't'e'r frointhe' hou ing fer ectiia in: th flo "crew! locking the Velv drrfect pressure; --of.the' water 'ztgmnst the V111 e ii sea s it When; how housing" ages posed thereto-' 1s 151 ,10 maintaining-the hee'dl mon to the p oeket eind the in *the- "finezintimfiwith water ii ever pressure it may he in the-. nzti rise to a level, disengaging the latch 85 from the tri ger 32 for and unlocking the 'valve from its seat, as before described, in

connection with the locking devices therefor, and whereupon the valve will be instantly lifted by the water pressure of the main to contact with the undersurface thereof and quickly forced to an upright position out of the currents of water ascending through the housing into the piping for an automatic sprinkling system.

The water main or branch pipe 13 is, as usual, provided with a gate (not shown) located substantially below the housing for the dry pipe valve and which is closed immediately following the completion of the active operation of the sprinkling system, the water from which is discharged through the opening 18, and may be through a drain valve in the pipe 46 which is not shown, but the location of which is indicated in Fig. 1.

Following the discharge of the water from the housing to a plane below the dry pipe valve seat, the cover 5 is takenoif, followed by moving the valve to. its seated position and connecting the locking devices therefor in their operative position and whereupon the cover 5 is again secured in its seated position, and whereupon and following the restoration or substitution of fusible link valves in their operation in the piping of the system, air is again introduced therein at a pressure sufiicient for the mercury to lift the float 52 and force its needle valve 50 to a seated position.

So far as we are aware, our invention is the first to provide for the successful use of a float in a dry pipe valve housing actuated by rising water therein from any source, and particularly which provides a means by which a column of mercury may be and is adapted, through the operation of a float, for controlling the unseating of a valve when directly opposed to the water pressure in a main or branch therefrom.

In conclusion, it is now to be observed that, so far as we are aware, our invention is the first to provide locking devices of any construction by which their disconnection is practical and possible in advance of the valve being unseated .by the pressure of water opposed thereto, or in which the look I ing levers are propelled away from contact with the valve out of the path of the currents of water forcibly ascending through the valve housing into the piping of an automatic sprinkling system.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desireto secure by Letters Pat ent is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising in combination a dry pipe valve seating against an opposing pressure of water, a disconnectible locking device for securing the valve upon its seat, a float operating to unlock the valve, a normally closed lay-pass connecting. the water under pressure below thevalve with a compressed air chamber above the valve, and means controlledby the reduction of the-pressure of air in the air chamber' for opening the bypass.

2. A device of the class described, comprising in combination a water pipe, a compressed air chamber associated therewith, a valve closing the pipe from the air chamber, a lock for the valve, a by-pa-ss from the water pipe to the air chamber, a float in the by-pass above the water pipe valve, and a heavy liquid in the by-pass cooperating with the float.

3. A device of the class described, com prising in'combination a valve, a disconnectible locking device maintaining said valve on its seat against an opposing pressure of water, and means including a column of mercury adapted for controlling the discon nection of said locking device in advance of the unseating of the valve.

4. 'A device of the class described, comprising in combination a valve, disconnectible locking devices for maintaining said valve on its seat against an opposing water pressure, a float associated with the locking devices, and a column of mercury operating to automatically furnish a supply of water above the valve to lift the float and thereby disconnect said locking devices.

5. A device of the class described, comprising in combination with a valve, of a device for locking said valve on its sea-t against an opposing pressure of water, consisting of levers each of which is pivoted atone end to the valve seat outwardly from the valve, a latch hinged to the valve which in its locked position projects across the surface of said levers, a trigger pivotally mounted upon the valve, and a float integrally connected with said trigger and adapted to disconnect the trigger from the latch by means of water supplied to and rising in the valve housing hen the valve is locked in its seated position.

6. A device of the class described, a valve interposed between the valve housing and a water supply pipe thereto, a by-pass connecting the water supply pipe with the valve housing, a mercury receptacle in said housing' projecting below the valve, a tube for said mercury projecting outwardly from and extending upwardly at the side of the housing, a needle valve interposed between the water inlet of the bypass and the mercury therein, and a float seated and unseated by the rise and fall of the mercury in said pipe and in turn by the rise and fall of air pressure in the valve housing.

7. A device of the class described, comprising a valve, levers fulcrumed on the 

